CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: SHE LOOKED FOR HIM TWICE WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD

In the afternoon, Aiden Fordham called Stella Grant, but she didn’t answer. So, he went straight back to the old residence.

There were some things he wanted to figure out in person.

He was kicked out by the old man in less than 10 minutes.

Steven Fordham directly shouted, saying he didn’t consider him a grandson, and had him thrown out.

But he didn’t actually leave, instead he found Uncle Warren, the butler who was directing the work in the garden.

Uncle Warren had been with the Fordham family for thirty years. As soon as he saw Aiden Fordham, he ran over,

"Young master, the old master’s cough is acting up lately, please don’t aggravate him! I’ll call you when he’s in a better mood."

Aiden Fordham nodded, "Then please take good care of Grandpa for me, I came back just to have a look."

He paused, lowering his voice a bit.

"Uncle Warren, I want to ask you something. Did the young mistress... know Grandpa when she was a child?"

Uncle Warren froze for a moment, carefully recalling.

"As a child?" he shook his head, then suddenly laughed, "Young master, why would you think that?"

"I remember it was four years ago when The Prescott Matriarch first brought her to visit. Yes, it was also the first time Grandpa met her, and he praised her for being beautiful, with a nice name."

Aiden Fordham frowned slightly. Four years ago... the timeline doesn’t match!

He asked again, with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Then think again, twelve years ago, was there a little girl who came to the old residence looking for someone?"

He stared at Uncle Warren, and when he asked this question, his heart skipped a beat.

This answer was very important to him. Extremely important.

Uncle Warren was a little taken aback. Twelve years ago? That’s a long time ago.

Fortunately, Uncle Warren quickly entered memory mode, furrowing his brow, searching through the long river of memory.

He nodded, yes, twelve years ago there was a little girl who came to the old residence, and she came twice.

The first time she came, she was dressed in rags and didn’t even have shoes. Everyone thought she was a little beggar trying to sneak in for benefits and ignored her, sending her away.

No one expected that the next day, she came again with a piece of paper in hand, with words written on it.

"What words?" Aiden Fordham asked, with a hint of impatience in his tone.

Uncle Warren patted his forehead, "Yes! It said—I’m looking for Brother Fordham."

"The special thing was, she wrote the ’Fordham’ character as the ’celestial stars’ one."

Uncle Warren glanced at Aiden Fordham.

"At that time, I thought this girl probably knew you, young master. Otherwise, how would she know your name and even write it down."

"I thought, maybe it was something important, or a family you knew had a lost child. So I called the boarding school where you were then."

Aiden Fordham’s heart sank, the call... went to the school?

"What... did I say?" His voice was a bit dry.

Uncle Warren sighed, "Back then, you said over the phone... said you didn’t know any girl looking for you. Said it might be a mistake, or a prank. I conveyed your words to that girl."

Aiden Fordham closed his eyes. He said he didn’t know her! He personally denied it!

"How did she... react after hearing it?" he asked hoarsely.

Uncle Warren shook his head, a bit of regret on his face.

That girl cried for a long time, squatting at the door crying all morning. In the end, I still gave her some money for food. But she stubbornly refused the money and ran away, never to return.

Every word felt like a needle piercing Aiden Fordham’s heart.

Stifled pain.

It turned out that there really was such a girl who came looking for him back then.

And she came twice, even brought such a paper with the wrong character written.

And he, because of a damned phone call, a single sentence "don’t know," completely shut her out.

Was that girl really Stella Grant as a child?

Why?

Why does he completely have no impression? Where did it go wrong? Making him miss someone who might have been crucially important to him?

Uncle Warren seemed to see his confusion, and told him it might be due to memory loss after the car accident, after all, he was in a coma for a long time, barely survived.

Aiden Fordham fell silent again, that must be it!

Yes!

That car accident! His father died in that car accident.

He himself was severely injured, hospitalized for months?

After waking up, many details before and after the accident were indeed vague.

The doctors said it was a post-traumatic stress reaction with some memory loss.

Could it be...

Did he really forget some important moment? Forget... the moment of knowing that girl?

A sense of urgency burst from Aiden Fordham’s eyes, "Then... is there a way to retrieve that memory?"

Uncle Warren pondered for a moment.

"Back then, the driver who drove you at the time of the accident was Ade. Poor kid, lost a leg in that accident, became disabled. Later got some compensation from the Fordham family, and returned to his hometown, haven’t kept in touch much since."

Uncle Warren had a lightbulb moment, "How about... I find someone to locate him? You ask him in person, maybe he can remember some details from back then?"

Aiden Fordham felt like he had grasped a lifeline.

Finding Ade might reveal what happened before and after the accident. Might unlock the memory he lost.

Unlock the mystery of Stella Grant.

"Okay! I’ll trouble you then, Uncle Warren!" he said solemnly, looking at Uncle Warren, "Find him as soon as possible."

"Yes, young master, I’ll arrange it right away." Uncle Warren nodded in agreement.

Aiden Fordham took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions, then got in the car and left.

Sitting in the car, he kept his eyes tightly shut, carefully recalling everything about Stella Grant.

He couldn’t forget, the first time he brought her to The Sovereign Estate room, she wore a white long dress, walked through the lily garden, looked at the flowers for a long time, even reached out to pick one.

Later, he had that small hill planted full of lilies, sourcing the rarest varieties from around the world, cultivating it into a beautiful fragrant garden.

The butler asked what to name the little garden, he casually said: Coregarde.

How could she set it on fire? So mercilessly?

She said she had been chasing for 12 years, was she really going to give up?

A feeling of irritation crawled over his heart, forcing him to open his eyes.

He dialed Keegan Lindsey’s number, speaking impatiently, "Find Stella Grant, see what she’s doing, tell me immediately."

Keegan swallowed half a mouthful of food, quickly responding, "Got it!"

He added, "Have someone repair Coregarde, replant the lilies."

Keegan swallowed a gulp of water with effort, "What if Madam... burns it again?"

"Then plant them again!"

Aiden Fordham’s tone was unyielding and commanding!

He was determined, she couldn’t possibly have a problem with flowers.

Keegan: What a dog!

"Alright!"

He didn’t know why he was so persistent, maybe it was because it represents past happiness, the only connection with her.

Yes, if it’s to be burned, it should be by his own hands, not hers!

That’s how he thought...

The name Stella Grant meant nothing to him! He reiterated to himself once more!

Before long, Keegan called back.

"President Fordham, I’ve found out, Madam has been at The Lockwood Group, seems... hasn’t come out for three days."

"Three whole days and nights without leaving The Lockwood Group!"

Aiden Fordham’s face darkened immediately upon hearing this.

Three days and nights, she was staying and eating with Andy Lockwood.

What was she thinking?

He felt a flush of green over his head, and instantly his mood soured.